Exile of the Clave

Exile of the Clave - Chapter 19

A gust of snow sheeted into Sera's face as her Portal opened just outside the cabin on Wrangel Island, slicing through the same patch of ice where she had come through last time. Rayce ducked through after her with Steven in his arms. Light was shining cheerfully through the tiny window in the darkness, and Sera prayed that everyone was inside instead of scattered across the island. She was going to need all of them if her suspicions were correct.

She knocked heavily on the door and it opened a few moments later. Hunter Lightwood's bewildered expression brightened immediately when he saw her, and he stepped aside to let her in, cozy slippers looking right at home alongside his pajamas. When he caught sight of Rayce, though, his mouth fell open. The half-Faerie's broad chest was still bare under the cloak, and his face was grim with worry for the Mundane in his arms.

"Sera!" Aspen called excitedly, throwing aside the book she had been reading on the loveseat. "And... oh, my Lord." Her eyes travelled up Rayce's body, taking in the scarred sword at his side and the double-bladed staff slung across his back, until she met his frightening split-coloured eyes, and then her mouth fell open, too. "Is that... Rayce?"

Sera grinned proudly. "Yep." She shot a glance at her prince. "Rayce, I'd like you to meet your cousin, Aspen Herondale."

A look of wonder crossed his face at her words. Clary, Seraphine, Helen, and Aline rose from the kitchen table guardedly, uncertain of how he might react to any sudden movements.

"Ah, crap," Aspen muttered. "Cousins."

Clary slowly covered her mouth with one hand when she saw him, and tears brimmed in her eyes to see a man who looked so much like her brother following a very different path.

"And this is your aunt, Clary Herondale," Sera continued softly, ignoring Aspen's teenage crush. She reached out to take Steven from Rayce, cradling her friend gently as his head lolled sideways. He had lost consciousness just after she had embraced him in the Consul's office, but part of her was glad that he wasn't in pain right now.

The side of Rayce's mouth started to curl upward as he failed to contain the rising warmth that was spreading through his chest. My Shadowhunter family.

Touching two fingers lightly to her lips, Helen bowed her head slightly to Rayce. "And your niece," she whispered. She glided forward until she could look up into his face, her blue-green eyes wide. Her hand drifted up to brush the slightly-pointed tips of his ears wistfully. "You remind me so much of Mark." His green and black eyes held no horror for her.

Rayce gathered up her hands with his own. "I owe Mark Blackthorn a debt," he told her earnestly. "I did not intend to draw him back into our world from his peaceful life, but he is a true warrior. He answered the horn's call and saved many lives with his courage, my own included." His thoughts drifted back to the worn witchlight in his cloak. "Your brother is a good man."

The door to the bedroom opened and Tessa came out in a heavy nightgown, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "What's going-" She blinked when she registered that there were a few more people in the living room than when she had gone to sleep. Jem appeared behind her and Sera felt her stomach flip-flop.

"Jem," she sighed with relief. "I need you to help him." She hefted Steven a bit in her arms and the former Silent Brother's face transformed.

"Bring him in here," he answered, beckoning for her to lay him on the bed. Grateful that Steven was going to get some form of medical attention, she squeezed past a confused Tessa and bent down to slip him into the still-warm bed, the chains on his wrists clanking faintly as she stepped away. Almost as an afterthought, she touched the manacles to apply an Opening rune, and they fell away, no longer necessary to help him hang on to her or Rayce.